Invasion parachute



Apri13o, 1946. R y; PENCE l2,399,379

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to parachutes by means of whichjumpers may safely reach the ground from air transports and variousaircraft, and is primarily intended for invasion purposes in theinterest of paratroopers .or air transported invasion troops, withseveral important objects in mind.

The most important object of the inventiton is the provision of aparachute with means permitting the jumper to readily, easily andquickly control and vary the speed of descent between a minimum ornormal, substantially safe landing speed and a maximum speed, forexample eight to ten times the minimum or normal speed, in order that byskillful variation of the speed of descent, the descending jumper mayeffectively protect himself from ground artillery and sniping, as wellas from machine gunning from aircraft. As a corollary of this provisionof materially increased protection to the jumper, it is provided thattransport planes may maintain high altitudes for discharge of jumpers,thus decreasing the vulnerability of such aircraft to enemyanti-aircraft re from the ground.

A further important object of the invention is to provide for theforegoing protection and ,advantages by means of a wholly flexiblenature within the parachute, permitting its ready folding into astandard parachute pack, and serving, by lreason of its flexibility, toenable the jumper to exercise maximum steering control, during descent,by swinging with the open parachute.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as its construction,combination of parts, and resulting advantages, may be better understoodand more thoroughly appreciated in the course of the followingdescription in detail thereof, and by reference to the accompanyingdrawing, disclosing the best mode thus far devised for carrying theinvention into practical effect.

In the drawing, which illustrates the invention, and forms a part ofthis specification,

Figure l is a side view of the complete parachute.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View through the canopy of theparachute, showing the inner flexible and flexibly guided brake or valvedisc in 50 itsy upper or closed position for minimum or normal speed ofdescent, the canopy being partially broken away.

Figure 4 isa partial vertical sectional view showing the brake or valvedisc of Figure 3 in 5' lowered or open position for rapid or maximumspeed of descent, and,

Figure 5 is a detail horizontal sectional View taken substantially online 5 5 of Figure fi.

5 Referring now particularly to Figures l and 2, there is shown aparachute including the usual canopy I0 and harness shrouds I I, theupper portions of which shrouds are suitably fixed along the outersurface of the canopy and converge downwardly therefrom in groupsconnected at their lower ends to harness rings I2 or other suitablextures readily attachable to the standard body harness of a parachutistor jumper. In describing the canopy and main or harness shrouds as l5being usual, it is intended that their shape and materials may conformstrictly, in so far as this invention is concerned, with accepted andstandard practice.

According to this invention, however, the canopy is provided with acrown opening i3 which is very substantially enlarged as compared to thenormal relatively smaller crown opening usually present for stabilizingdescent, and normally controlling the speed of descent to a pointpermitting safe landing of skilled jumpers. With the normal opening thespeed of descent is uniform and in warfare the jumper is thus highlyvulnerable to anti-aircraft re and sniping from the ground as well asmachine gunning from enemy aircraft.

For this reason jumpers are usually unloaded from low flying transportplanes, so they will be in the air for as short a period as possible,but this in turn subjects the transport planes to great danger fromground fire.

By enlarging the normal area of the stabilizing crown opening of theparachute to an extent permitting, for example, eight to ten times thenormal speed of descent, and providing means easily and quickly operableto render effective in one position, or close off in another position,the increased area thereof beyond that of the normal stabilizingopening, it is placed within the skill 5Aof the jumper to so vary andalternate normal r @speed of descent, with speeds of descent eight to 0ten times that of normal speed, as to greatly reduce vulnerability ofthe jumper to enemy fire and thus justify launching of jumpers from highying transports which are, to this extent, less vulnerable to enemyground re.

To accomplish the foregoing and at the same time permit of the foldingof the parachute into a standard pack, the present invention proposesthe use of a wholly flexible and wholly flexibly guided brake or valvemember or disc I4 located 0 within the canopy and adapted in its closedposition to conform flatwise to the under surface of the crown portionof the canopy I0, across its substantially enlarged single crown openingI3 in a manner to close off all of that area of the opening beyond thearea of the normal stabilizing opening I5 with which the disc I4 isprovided at its center.

The disc I4 is, of course, formed of imperforate and imperviousmaterial, except for its said central opening I5, and the canopy openingI3 may be, and preferably will be provided with a covering of net workwebbing or reticulate material I6 for effective seating of the disc I4in its upper closed position, and to avoid any danger of its being blownthrough the opening I3. This reticulate covering may be substantiallyreinforced by extending and joining the upper ends of the harnessshrouds at the crown of the canopy It, across the yopening I3 above thesaid covering.

The brake or valve disc I4, as best seen in Figures 3 and 4, ispreferably reenforced by radial, flexible cord ribs I l, suitablysecured thereto, the inner ends of these cords being connected, at thecenter of the central opening I5, to the upper end of a flexible controlline I 8 which, depends, within the harness shrouds, intermediatelythrough a guide member or ring I9 below the canopy lil. and ispreferably provided with a handle member` or loop 2B at its lower endbetween the harness rings I2 and thus within convenient reach of thejumper. The line I8 thus provides a convenient connection for pullingthe disc I4 downwardly away from the canopy opening I3 when increasedspeed of descent becomes desirable or necessary.

To insure unobstructing flexibility throughout, the disc I4 is bodilyshiftable toward and away from its closed position above described andis, for this reason, preferably provided with radially outstandingapertured guide members 2I at spaced points therearound corresponding tothe spacing of a series of guide lines or shrouds 22, `grouped aroundthe disc and secured in any suitable manner at their upper ends to thecrown portion of the canopy around its opening I3.

The guide lines or shrouds 22, it will be noted, are arranged indownwardly converging relation, being connected in any suitable mannerat their lower ends to the guide ring or member I9, before mentioned.which is in turn connected, by a lesser number of flexible tension oranchor lines 23 to the lower harness rings or fixtures I 2 of the mainor harness shrouds II of the parachute.

The guide lines 0r shrouds 22, extend through the guides 2I peripherallyof the disc I4 and thus guide the latter in its bodily movement to andfrom closed position across the canopy opening I3. Thus the guide linesor shrouds 22 not only serve to guide the disc I4 effectively to closedposition, but also serve to constrain the disc to deformation from aconformable closed position ilatwise against the reticulate covering I6of the canopy opening as shown in Figure 3, to an inverted conical shapewhen it is pulled downwardly to open position as seen in Figure 4. Dueto the downward converging of the guide shrouds 22 the inverted conicalshape of the disc I4 gradually changes and lengthens vertically as thedisc is moved downwardly, and thus it is laterally reduced or collapsedand offers gradually reducing obstruction to direct uprushing aircurrents.

It is believed to be plain that in practical use a skillful jumper` mayso manipulate the control line I8 as to variously alternate and timerelatively rapid and relatively slow speeds during descent with highlyprotective results against enemy aircraft and ground fire, by pullingthe brake or valve disc I4 downwardly to open position and releasing thesame for the uprushing air currents to close it against the undersurface of the canopy.

It is also believed the advantages previously mentioned as resultingfrom such manipulation of the brake or valve disc are equally plain inrespect to release of jumpers from troop transport aircraft at highaltitudes, and that the proposed bodily movable disc with its describedguides, forms a wholly flexible arrangement without any disadvantages asregard-s steering of the parachute during descent by swinging movementsof the jumper, or ready folding thereof into the standard parachute packbetween periods of use.

Having thus fully disclosed the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A parachute including a canopy having downwardly converging shrouds,harness rings to which the ends of said shrouds are connected. saidcanopy provided with a central opening of size greater than the normaldemand for stabilized descent, a disc seating by air pressure againstsaid opening to maintain the di-sc thereagainst, said disc having radialreinforcements and a central opening of parachute stabilizing area andperipherally outstanding perforate members. shrouds fixed at their upperends around the crown portion of said canopy and extending through saidperforate members to provide flexible guide lines for saiddisc, a ringintermediate the ends of said canopy shrouds to which the lower ends ofsaid guide lines are connected in converging relation, means to maintainsaid guide lines in tension during descent and a control line connectedto the radial reinforcements of said disc and extending through andguided by said ring for drawing said disc bodily away from said crownand along said flexible guides.

2. A parachute including a canopy having central crown opening of a sizegreater than the normal demand of stabilized descent and harnessshrouds, the upper portions of said shrouds being fixed along the outeredge of said canopy and converging downwardlyy harness rings secured tothe convergent ends of said shrouds, a reticulate covering for saidopening, a flexible disc for seating flatwise against said opening toclose same, said disc having a central opening of parachute stabilizingarea and a series of peripheral guide members, a series of downwardlyconvergingl shrouds xed at their upper ends around said crown openingofl the canopy and extending through said disc guide members to providefor guided movement of said disc to and from said closed position, aring to which said shrouds are convergingly connected at their lowerends, anchor lines connected to said ring and to the aforementionedharness rings to maintain said guide shrouds in tension during descent,and a flexible line extended through and guided by said ringr forcontrolling the relative movement of said disc.

3. A parachute including a canopy having a series of groups ofdownwardly converging harness shrouds, each series at its convergent endbeing connected to a harness ring; said canopy having a single crownopening of a size substantially greater than the normal demand ofstabilized descent, a reticulate covering across said opening, aflexible valve disc for seating against said reticulate covering, saiddisc having a central opening of parachute stabilizing area and aperipheral series of guide members extending outwardly therefrom, saiddisc provided with a series of equally spaced reinforcing ribsintersecting one another at the center of the opening therein; a seriesof downwardly converging guide lines fixed at their upper ends aroundthe crown opening in said canopy and extending through the peripheralguide members on said disc, said guide lines terminating at a pointintermediate 10 of said harness shrouds, a ring to which the ends ofsaid guide lines are secured, a plurality of anchor lines connectingsaid intermediate ring to said harness rings to maintain said guidelines in tension during descent, and a exible control line connected tosaid ribs at the intersection thereof in the opening in said disc fordrawing said disc downwardly away from said crown opening.

ROBERT V. PENCE.

